Premiere - Video Transitions

When looking at creating my DVD trailer I began to look into video transitions. These are the way in which each clip follows on from the previous. The transitions used on trailers and videos in general can either make or break the final quality, a trailer with weak transitions can look cheap and unprofessional. Due to the fact that Adobe Premiere is not solely based around creating trailers and such like videos it has a wide range of transition effects which are very similar to those that you would find on Powerpoint. These transitions may be perfect from one Powerpoint slide to another but look awful transitioning from one video clip to another. For this reason I decided that I would look into various transitions and the effects these had on clips. This would help me narrow down the best and eliminate the worst. This will save me time when I come to put my final trailer together as I wont need to play around with all of these transitions. The below screenshot shows all of the different types of transitions which Premiere has to offer.

I am to try at least one transition from each of the above folders. I will then evaluate how well it works and what effects it gives. I will then create a shortlist of all of my favourite transitions at the end. 

3D Motion - Spin Away:

This transition spins the start of the second clip before it starts to play. This transition looks average in a video however this may be improved by using this at a different place and on different clips.This transition would look out of place at the start or the end of the whole video and hence could only really be used to transition from one clip to the next.

3D Motion - Tumble Away:

This transition takes the end of the first clip it is applied to and then rotates it smaller until it disappears in the center of the screen. I really don't like the way this transition looks on video clips and as I mentioned above I feel this would be better suited to Powerpoint like presentations. his transition would look out of place at the start or the end of the whole video and hence could only really be used to transition from one clip to the next however I wont be using this in my trailer.

Dissolve - Cross Dissolve:

This transition is a very commonly used on trailers and television advertisements. It works by 'dissolving' the first clip on top of the second clip so the second clip gradually appears. The two clips cross over or overlap and hence the name. This is a much softer transition than the two above and hence it looks a lot better on video clips as they tend to just merge together. 

Dissolve - Dip To Black/Dip To White:

Dip To Black and Dip To White are two separate transitions however work in the same way and hence I have placed them under the same heading. This transition is also used heavily in industry. It works by dipping the clip to either black or white and then the second clip appears after this. This is a transition which would work well at the end of the whole trailer as my final clip could simply dip to black/white. This could also aid in adding titles in the middle of my trailer as the clip could dip and then change to a solid screen. 

Iris - Iris Points:

This transition works by splitting the original clip into quarters to show the second clip which is behind this. This transition is better suited to suited to Powerpoint like presentations in my opinion. This is based on the fact that the transition is too noticeable. This isn't always a bad thing however I personally don't like the really prominent transitions.  I looked at several different Iris transitions, all of these worked in the same way just the actual transition shape changed. For example Box, Star and Cross. These all had the same low quality effect. 

Map - Luminance Map:

This transition was completely different to any that I had looked at previously.  The transition between the two clips was created using different levels of light and opacity. The initial clip goes dark and the opacity level decreases so the second clip can be seen through, the initial clip then completely fades out. I am undecided as to whether I like this transition or not, I feel it would work on video clips and presentations however I feel I would be a lot more limited with what clips I could apply this transition too.

Page Peel - Page Turn:

This transition is quite self explanatory.  The transition works by one clip playing followed by a page turn which then leads to the second clip. This transition looked very unprofessional when linking one video clip to the next and hence I think it would be better suited to Powerpoint like presentations. I looked at several different Page Peel transitions to see if they all had the same low quality effect. I experimented with Center Peel, Roll Away and Peel Back. I personally feel these were actually worse than the original Page Turn! Needless to say I wont be looking at using these transitions in my trailer.

Slide - Center Split:

This transition works by splitting the original video clip into quarters and then pushing them away to make way for the second clip.This has a very noticeable transition and hence I dont personally like the effect it gives off.

Slide - Swirl:

This transition is similar to the previous as it creates a very noticeable change. It works by splitting the second clip into small sections and then these sections swirl onto the screen and clip into place. This transition is much better suited for Powerpoint presentations as I feel the change it much too strong for video clips.

Special Effects - Displace:

This transition is very subtle. The initial clip simply ends with the second clip starting slightly distorted. I don't feel this transition has much of an effect on the two clips at all. I feel this would be better suited to some kind of horror trailer rather than my own Rom-Com.

Special Effects - Three D:

This is a very unique transition as it changes the colour of the clips as well as transitions from one to another. It works by layering the two clips. The second clip sits on top of the first clip, both with lower opacity. The colours are then changed to make the transition appear 3D. Like with the previous special effect transition I don't feel this suites my trailer genre and hence I wont be using this transition in my trailer. 

Stretch - Stretch:

This transition works by stretching the second clip over the top of the first. This transition is average. I don't feel it gives the best effect but it also doesn't give the worst. In the right context I feel this transition could work well and I may play around with this in my trailer even if it doesn't make it to my final cut.

Wipe - Clock Wipe:

The Wipe transitions work by effectively wiping the screen to make room for the second clip. Clock Wipe works by wiping the screen from the top central in a clockwise motion. This is a prominent effect and I hence feel that it doesn't create the smooth transition I am aiming for.

 

Wipe Barn Doors:

This transition is very similar to that of above. It works by wiping the screen from the center to either side to show the second clip. Again this is a prominent clip which is not the look I am going for and hence I wont be using this transition for my DVD trailer.

Zoom - Cross Zoom:

The final transition I looked and experimented with was Zoom. This particular zoom was the Cross Zoom. This works by zooming in on the first clip and then zooming out on the second clip. I don't personally like this transition technique as I don't feel it looks professional when used on video clips.

With all of these transitions in mind my favourite are by far from the Dissolve folder. These are in the form of Cross Dissolve and Dip To Black/White. I will look into the other dissolve transitions when creating my trailer. I feel these transitions are subtle but effective which is perfect for combining video clips into one clip. 

When applying all of these transitions to my sequence there are various options to change which could help create different effects. When the transition is placed on the timeline I can simply double click on the transition and a screen will appear in the top left hand corner. This allows me to change the settings of that particular effect. This allows you to change elements such as when the transition starts and ends, the length of the transition along with the length of the whole transition. This is also something to consider when applying transitions to my own trailer. This can be seen below: